Chris Taylor has already opened up people’s eyes in the Mainers’ front office. He hopes to soon open eyes across the country. (Mark J. Rebilas – USA Today Sports)

Nothing about the Seattle Mariners‘ Chris Taylor would convince you that he may be ready to play in the major leagues within the year. He was drafted just two years ago in the fifth round and none of his raw skills stood out when the Mariners took him.

However, all he’s done in the minor leagues is hit and run. As simple as it sounds, getting on base and stealing bases has made Taylor a real head turner in Seattle’s farm system. A season ago, Taylor hit .314 split between High-A and Double-A and stole a combined 38 bases.

Those numbers jump right out to anyone putting together a baseball team and the Mariners are no different. Those impressive stats earned Taylor the Mariners’ Minor League Player of the Year award. They hope that he can keep that up entering spring training.

Given his relative lack of experience, it would be wishful thinking to hope Taylor made the big league squad out of camp. The more likely scenario is that he will be sent to Triple-A to see where he stacks up against other more highly-touted prospects. Should he keep batting over .300 and steal close to 30 bases again, he won’t be in Triple-A for long.

For a player that wasn’t taken until the fifth round of the draft and has only played two full seasons of minor league baseball, Taylor has really impressed. What makes it even crazier is to think about the fact that he could be playing alongside second baseman Robinson Cano in the near future.